Is 'hydrofracking' for natural gas worth the risks in New York?

AP, 2008 A DRILLING RIG for a natural gas well into the Marcellus Shale in Houston, Pa.

Landowners should think hard about signing on

To the Editor:

In the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, we often take for granted all that we are blessed with.

As I took a long, hot shower to wash away a week's worth of grime that comes along with camping in the Adirondacks, I began thinking how easy it is to take clean water for granted in this precipitation-rich region.

With that thought fresh in my mind, I felt deep concern as I read your article about the number of people who have recently signed agreements with out-of-state companies to allow drilling for natural gas. I could not believe people were signing away the rights to their property for $50 an acre with no guarantee of receiving a fraction of uncertain future proceeds offered.

These property owners will allow these companies access to clear land and build roads, power lines, pipelines, compressor stations, well heads and possibly retention ponds to hold the wastewater and byproducts of this type of drilling, or "hydro-
fracking."

To extract the gas in the Marcellus and Utica shale, a tremendous amount of water along with sand and undisclosed chemicals are shot into the ground with tremendous force to "fracture" the shale and send the gas to the surface along with all the toxin-filled water. According to a Times-Union article published on July 22, "the New York State DEC does not track how drillers dispose of waste known as produced water," and "the U.S. Department of Energy lists produced water as among the most toxic of any oil industry byproduct." Where will these companies get all of this water they need, and what will they do with the millions of gallons of contaminated water per well left at the surface as a byproduct of hydrofracking?

Natural gas will be a key component in our energy mix for years to come. But this type of drilling has contaminated ground and drinking water in many other states and is unlike any other drilling the DEC has overseen. What I hope for is a greater awareness from property owners, better understanding of this type of drilling at the state level and disclosure of all chemicals used during the process. Water is Upstate New York's greatest asset, and it would be selfish to deny that resource to my daughters' generation and their children, all for $50 an acre and a dream.

Patrick J. Sullivan
Jamesville

DEC has studied enough; it's time to move ahead

To the Editor:

As Broome County executive, I have tried to balance the competing views surrounding the Marcellus shale. I believe it is possible to develop natural gas resources and to also provide reasonable protection for the environment. Development, however, is currently held hostage by New York state government.

Although there is not an official state moratorium, horizontal gas drilling permits will not be issued until the Department of Environmental Conservation completes the supplemental generic environmental impact statement (sGEIS).

I urge DEC to move forward now to complete its sGEIS process. We do not need, nor can we afford, another delay.

Development of the Marcellus shale presents an enormous economic opportunity. Broome recently commissioned a study to assess the fiscal impact of natural gas development. The preliminary draft indicates that the 10-year "total economic activity" in Broome County will be in the billions of dollars. The economic benefits for the state, including tax receipts, will be even greater.

This opportunity is presented at a time when our economy is suffering. Gov. David Paterson recently predicted that state tax receipts are expected to be 35 percent lower than previous estimates. Against this backdrop, gas drilling companies are diverting capital resources to Pennsylvania, because the regulatory scheme in New York is still so uncertain.

We cannot, however, allow current fiscal hardships to cause us to ignore the inherent dangers of drilling, producing and transporting natural gas. No one in Broome County government will succumb to that trap. We have been very active in lobbying DEC on environmental issues. Last year I made various suggestions to manage the risks:

* Restrictions on salt water injection disposal wells.

* No earthen pits in Broome County.

* Requirement that closed loop systems be used for drilling mud.

* Requirement that all frac flowback and water product be captured in steel tanks.

* Increasing the required setbacks.

* Protection for local aquifers.

* More resources devoted to DEC oversight.

None of these proposals are new. Horizontal drilling has already occurred in the Barnett Shale and other areas of the Marcellus. Our suggestions are based on lessons learned by officials and citizens in other communities. These lessons can and will be applied by DEC where appropriate.

Unfortunately, completion of the sGEIS has been delayed again. DEC has allegedly commissioned one more scientific report.

DEC must take a "hard look" at the environmental impact of horizontal drilling. It need not, however, predict every scenario, address every potential legal challenge and eliminate every danger before it releases the draft sGEIS. That is an impossible task. Even after the draft sGEIS is released, there will be further opportunity for DEC to refine its "hard look." There will be more public comment followed by a final sGEIS.

Every additional administrative delay by DEC pushes revenue away. In today's economic climate, we could lose economic development entry opportunities for decades. Natural gas companies are planning for the next five years, and I fear they are looking elsewhere.

On behalf of Broome County, we request that DEC immediately release the draft sGEIS, set the necessary comment period and move this process forward.

Barbara Fiala
Broome County executive

Technique could cause major damage

To the Editor:

Thank you for your Aug. 5 editorial on hydrofracking. It is imperative that the public be made aware of this controversial drilling process. Homeowners in the Southern Tier and Central New York are being persuaded by the easy money energy companies are offering to allow drilling on their land, yet they may not be fully informed about the risks and consequences to their health and property.

Other states have allowed this type of drilling and have suffered its effects. Texas, Colorado, Alabama and Pennsylvania already have thousands of drilling sites. Homeowners who have allowed drilling on their property report they are developing neurological disorders and cancers that they feel are a result of living near these wells. As you pointed out, laws that protect energy companies from releasing a list of the chemicals in their fracking fluids make it impossible at this time to prove a link between the health effects people are reporting and the pollution of their water and air.

Homes are riddled with noise, water and air pollution. Accidents including fires, gas leaks and toxic spills are a regular occurrence. For some, widespread drilling has led to complete loss of property value and an inability to control what happens on their own property. I urge you and your readers, especially those who live in potential drilling areas, to visit waterunderattack.com, a Web site documenting the effects of hydro-fracking.

As you reported, the DEC is evaluating the potential effects and need for oversight of
hydrofracking. This is a move in the right direction. While the economic promise of these natural gas deposits to the flailing state economy is tantalizing, we must realize that this "solution" is only temporary.

These deposits are expected to yield 20 years of natural gas supply and then tap out. Then what? Communities will be left with an industrial wasteland of pollution and a devastated landscape. The oil companies claim the process is safe. Testimony from landowners says otherwise. It is very important for all New Yorkers to be aware of what this "economic opportunity" might really mean.